Start with how you actually use the kitchen
Before you look at door styles, stand in the room and note what annoys you now. Where does the shopping land? Does the dishwasher door block the way to the sink? Can two people work at once? Keep the sink, hob and fridge within easy reach of each other, and leave clear floor in front of every appliance door and drawer run. If you want to move or remove a wall, say so early. That is a structural question, and Building Regulations may apply, so check with your local Building Control or ask us what applies to your house.
Measure the room and find out what is behind the walls
Older homes are rarely square. In a Victorian terrace or a stone cottage a wall can be a few millimetres out along its length, and a worktop that ignores that leaves gaps. Measure each wall at floor level and again at worktop height. Just as important is what you cannot see: where the sink waste leaves the house, where the stopcock is and where the consumer unit sits. Those positions decide what is simple to move and what needs pipes or cables re-run.
- Wall lengths at floor level and at worktop height
- Ceiling height, plus any beams, boxing or chimney breast
- Window and door sizes, and how far each sits from the nearest corner
- Where the sink waste, stopcock and consumer unit are
- Which way the floor boards or joists run, and whether the ground floor is solid
Choose your appliances before you finalise the layout
Appliances decide the cabinets, not the other way round. A tall fridge-freezer needs a housing with the right ventilation gaps, a built-in oven needs a particular carcass height, and a large induction hob or double oven can need its own correctly rated circuit. Get the installation sheet for each appliance and check the cut-out sizes before the worktop is templated. Extraction is the one people forget. Ducting to outside needs a route through a wall or ceiling, and a recirculating hood does nothing about moisture. Washing machines and dishwashers also need a water valve and a waste connection.
The order the work should happen in
A kitchen goes in stages, and each stage depends on the one before. The key split is first fix and second fix. First fix is everything that gets hidden: pipes and cables run to their final positions before the walls are plastered or boarded. Second fix is everything you see and use, done once the units, worktops and tiling are in. Getting first fix right is what stops a socket landing behind an appliance.
- Strip out the old kitchen and make good any damaged plaster or floor
- First fix plumbing and electrics, plus any extraction ducting
- Plaster or board the walls, then prepare the floor
- Fit units, then worktops, then splashback tiling
- Second fix: sockets, lighting, sink, taps and appliance connections
- Snagging: door and drawer alignment, plinths, trims and a final walk round
Where electrics, plumbing and tiling fit in
Electrical work in homes in England must meet Part P of the Building Regulations and BS 7671, and some jobs, such as a new circuit, need to be notified. Plumbing falls under the water regulations, which are mainly about preventing waste and contamination of the supply. We confirm exactly what applies to your job when we quote, and your local Building Control can answer questions too.
Tiling is where earlier decisions pay off. Choose the splashback tile and its height before first fix, so sockets and switches can sit centrally on a tile rather than half on a grout line. Walls need to be flat, dry and sound before tiling starts, and fresh plaster patches should be left to dry out first.
Ordering, deliveries and decisions that hold things up
Made-to-order doors, stone or solid-surface worktops and some appliances have the longest lead times, so order them before the start date rather than after. Stone worktops are usually templated once the units are fitted, so the kitchen can sit part-finished while they are made. Check every delivery against your order before anything is fitted, because a missing end panel or a wrong door size found late holds up everything behind it. Agree handle positions, tile layout and socket heights in writing, so nobody is guessing halfway through.
Next steps
Write down what you want to keep, what is moving and what you have already bought. Take photos of every wall, the pipework under the sink and the consumer unit, then measure each wall and note the ceiling height. Send the lot to us on WhatsApp along with your appliance list, and we will come back with any questions and a free, no-obligation quote based on what your job involves. If something cannot be judged from photos, we will say so rather than guess.
Quick answers
What order should a kitchen be fitted in?
Strip out first, then first fix plumbing and electrics, then plaster and floor preparation. Units go in next, followed by worktops and tiling, and finally second fix: sockets, taps, lighting and appliance connections. Snagging comes last. Changing that order usually means cutting into finished work.
Do I need Building Regulations approval for a new kitchen?
Not always, but parts of the work can be covered, such as new electrical circuits, removing walls, or changes to ventilation and drainage. It depends on what is being changed, so check with your local Building Control, or ask us and we will confirm what applies to your job when we quote.
Should I buy the appliances before the kitchen is fitted?
Yes, or at least choose them and get the exact sizes. Cabinets, worktop cut-outs and electrical connections all depend on the model. Swapping an oven or hob after the worktop is cut can mean a new section of worktop. Send us the model details with your photos.